Viewpoint
The Battalion Thursday
Texas A&M University November 17, 1977
Slouch — then and now
The student with the longest tenure at Texas A&M isn’t a red-shirted
football player or a multi-degreed graduate student or even an old Ag in his
second childhood.
A&M’s longest term record holder has been showing up right here, on the
second page of The Battalion, for 24 years. He’s Slouch.
This die-hard Present Student first appeared on The Battalion editorial
page 24 years ago today, in an unnamed cartoon by then-staff cartoonist Jim
Earle. Jim named his cartoon character “Cadet Slouch” in a cartoon appear
ing three days later and another Aggie tradition was born.
Jim graduated the next year, but Cadet Slouch signed on for a long stay in
Aggieland. He stayed right here while Jim was getting masters and doctorate
degrees, headed for the job he now holds as head of A&M’s department of
engineering design graphics.
During those years. Cadet Slouch went through a change or two himself.
He became simply Slouch to reflect the University’s switch to optional Corps
membership. He adjusted to the thousands of changes the University has
seen during his tenure. Yet, he has always remained distinctly Jim Earle’s
Slouch.
He’s commented on virtually every facet of Aggie life, every change, every
new controversy. He’s the special blend of tradition and option and humor
and A&M that makes him simply Slouch. No more explanation needed.
Thanks, Jim Earle. Here’s a toast to the next 24 years of your “child’s life.
L.R.L.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
1953-197'7 SLOUCH
1953 AND 4,100 CAFtTOONS LATER
British don’t feel like afflicted nation
By RUDOLF KLEIN
International Writers Service
LONDON — Within recent years,
Britain has been portrayed in the head
lines as a nation afflicted by rampant infla
tion, damaging labor disputes and declin
ing standards of living. Its image has be
come one of a society tottering on the
brink of collapse.
On the contrary, recent public opinion
surveys show that the overwhelming
majority of people in Britain are not only
content with their lot but pleased with the
way the country is being run. The studies
also reveal that they are happier than some
other West Europeans whose economies
are working better than that of Britain.
This suggests that national satisfaction
may depend on factors other than prosper
ity. Or it could mean that the British are so
complacent that they refuse to admit that
they are threatened by severe political,
economic and social pressures.
Whatever the reasons, the polls indicate
that 80 percent of them have no serious
complaints about their conditions. This
sentiment is roughly equal to that in West
Germany, a far richer country, and con
siderably higher than the same feeling in
France and Italy. The Danes, Dutch and
Belgians register higher levels of satisfac
tion.
About three-fifths of the British,
moreover, believe that democracy in Brit
ain is operating effectively. Again, this
sentiment is stronger here than in France
and Italy, but lower than in West Ger
many, where four-fifths of the population
applaud their democratic system.
One element that comes through
sharply in the surveys is that most British
think that their society is “fair.” In other
words, their lack of bitterness reflects an
awareness that, if the overall standard of
living has fallen in Britain, everyone is suf
fering equally and no particular group is
profiting from the recession.
This does not signify that the British
take the drop in their living standards
lightly. Far from it. About 30 percent feel
that their incomes are lower than their re
quirements. But they do not consider
themselves poor — in contrast to the
French, a large proportion of whom claim
to be impoverished even though their
economy is wealthier than that of Britain.
Clearly, living standards are not the
only yardstick by which people assess their
sense of well-being. Nor is job satisfaction
dependent on salary scales, according to a
survey carried out not long ago by a British
consumer magazine.
The survey, in which 24,000 employees
were questioned, found that nearly 50
percent believed themselves to be under
paid. But almost three-quarters said that,
despite their wage, they were satisfied
with their present job.
Strikingly, the most satisfied job cate
gory turned out to be clergymen, whose
average earnings are lower than those of
unskilled office employees. More than 85
percent said that they would choose the
same profession if they had to start their
career over again.
Exactly the same percentage of doctors
gave this reply, even though members of
the British medical establishment have
been among the most vocal critics of the
declining standard of living of the middle
class.
The highest-paid occupational group —
stockbrokers — were significantly less
content with their work. Only 59 percent
said that they would opt for the same
career again.
What seems to matter to people, then,
is not so much the money they earn or the
hours that they devote to their jobs as the
freedom they have to make their own de
cisions and to determine their own work
patterns. In this respect, the surveys
shows, the most satisfied British are the
self-employed and workers in small firms.
Therefore, the way in which a society is
organized may be at least as important as a
measure of its stability as the income of its
citizen's.
That Britain has been experiencing eco
nomic adversity is undeniable. But the fact
that the morale of the British is still high in
the face of stress and strain is certainly to
their credit. For a country that can absorb
the consequences of crisis is, on the
whole, rather healthy.
(Klein, a senior fellow at London s Center
for Studies in Social Policy, writes on so
cial issues in Britain.)
©«77WOU»'60ieft»6-
\
letters to the editor
Coming to the defense of American oil firms
Editor:
I am writing this letter in response to a
letter by Houston Thompson in the Nov.
15 issue of the Battalion. In that letter
Thompson attacked the oil companies for
blocking the passage of President Carter’s
energy policy by appealing to the “selfish
interests of the American people,” and
their demand for an ever-increasing sup
ply of energy.
In his energy policy, President Carter
offers us higher prices in the form of
energy taxes, more government meddling
in business, in the form of the Department
of Energy, and yet another loss of eco
nomic freedom in the form of federal price
policies on interstate gas. In return these
policies will not produce one extra drop of
oil or one cubic foot of gas.
These are only a few of the proposals
that you would have the American public
accept in a spirit of patriotism, sacrifice
and intelligence!?!?!? You have the audac
ity to attack the American oil industry,
which in spite of almost insurmountable
technological problems, exasperating gov
ernment interference in private business,
and a host of hostile politicians continues
to supply Americans with the cheapest
energy to be found in the world.
Although conservation should be
stressed within reason, this country did
not conserve its way greatness, we pro
duced our way to the top and that is
exactly what it is going to take to solve this
energy crisis.
As far as President Carter and his
energy policy, I think R.W. Scott pretty
well summed it up in this month’s edition
of Oil World in which he says, “At this
point, it can only be said that the present
administration and its rubber stamp
stooges in the House are appropriately
represented by the symbol of the party
that controls them.”
—Robert M. Shivers III, ’79
Helmet law unjust
Editor:
The issue concerning motorcycle hel
mets in College Station is beginning to
look ridiculous. I am not a motorcyclist
and therefore feel that I am in a neutral
position to express my opinion on the is
sue.
The State Legislature has passed a law
to permit motorcyclists over 18 to ride
without helmets and College Station is try
ing to promote the denial of this law within
the city. I simply don’t believe that the
law, if passed, will work, for several rea
sons.
A major problem with the law concerns
visitors and out-of-towners. Those visiting
the city or just passing through will not be
aware of this law, but will be expected to
uphold this law by the city of College Sta
tion. I believe that this is unfair and un
just, for a city to try to enforce such a law.
College Station in a sense is trying to form
a dictatorship by passing laws to under
mine state laws.
—Kenneth Crowson
Helmet law needed
Editor:
When laws are made, they are made to
better society. When the law stating that
motorcyclists were not required to wear
crash helmets was passed, I could not be
lieve it. How could an irresponsible law
like that even be considered?
Riding a motorcycle can be dangerous.
Even with all the proper clothing such as
boots, long pants, heavy jackets and crash
helmets, people can still be hurt or killed
in an accident. Can you imagine those who
chose not to wear any such clothing while
riding? A bad fall or a slight collision could
mean death.
People are people. Most will use com
mon sense in matters of safety, but those
that do not, need a little urging. Let us get
another law passed stating that
motorcyclists must wear crash helmets
when riding.
—Karen Boswell
Still Resistance
Editor:
Recently at the Rudder Tower, two
movies about French collaboration with
the Nazis were shown. “The Sorrow and
the Pity” and “Special Section” were only
separated by 10 days. The movies present
a very biased idea of the truth.
I am French and would like to em
phasize that there were a lot of people in
the French Resistance who were active
against the German occupation, even if no
Aggie movie shows this.
I agree that courage is less frequent than
mediocrity and I also know that this is a
common feature in all people. In 1941 to
1943, many Frenchmen did not actively
resist against the Nazis.
Nowadays, many historical movies try to
tell the whole truth regardless of their im
pact on uninformed people. The need for
truth leads me to wish people to be more
informed of what the fight of the French
Resistance was, at the same time in
France.
The aid of the Resistance was very im
portant during the attack of Allied Forces
in June 1944 and after. Moreover, the suc
cess of this operation would not have been
as quick and total without the help of Re
sistance groups that had, throughout
France, harrassed the German communi
cations and transportation in their with
drawal.
In conclusion, I hope that the students
of A&M will not keep this biased descrip
tion of France during World War II as the
pure truth and I hope that they will not
base their judgement only on these two
movies. — Christian Robieux
(French student at the
Institute of Statistics,
Texas A&M)
Here I sit
Editor:
Before I came to Texas A&M I was
given much advice from both family and
friends on what to expect at a major uni
versity. In particular I was told to expect
several sleepless nights in preparing class
assignments and for exams. I can re
member laughing as I told them that it
would never happen to me. I was deter
mined to get my eight hours of sleep each
night and to do well in my studies also.
Well one morning around 2:30 a.m. as I
was recalling that resolution I came up
with the following little poem that I hope
you will enjoy.
Here I Sit
Here I sit all by myself.
Wondering what 1 should do.
With all this homework on the shelf
I wonder if I’ll ever get through.
The study lamp is still burning.
And my eyes are turning red.
The Bag Monster is calling and yearning.
For me to go to bed.
But tonight I guess I’ll keep him away.
And refuse his invitation.
For as wise men many times will say.
On a test, depend not on Inspiration.
the nation great” is the kind of Pavlovian
phrasology which makes me cringe and
avoid political speeches almost entirely.
There are several points in his letter which
I would like to examine carefully. . . .
Exactly whom did he have in mind,
when referring to “world governments?” If
he meant the United Nations, I think it
would surprise that organization greatly to
be so feared and hated — the U.N. has
great difficulty carrying out any action, or
even formulating decisions at all! His
statement that “world govemmentalists
are actual or de facto disciples of Karl
Marx” is . . . interesting, and worth discus
sion, but it certainly is not a FACT — it is
nothing more than a broadside OPINION
on his part.
Concerning our involvement in Korea
and Vietnam, it’s odd to me to even put
those two wars in the same sentence. They
are not that much alike. I seriously ques
tion the statement that we were forced out
of those places — at least not by those
mysterious “world govemmentalists” who
seem to flit around inside his thinking like
omnipotent devils. The way I recollect
that particular stretch of American history,
at least the Vietnam thing, is that a whole
huge portion of our own populace spoke
out to question the value of continued in
volvement.
Mr. Pritchett seems to feel that he is
safely in the majority, by his continuous
use of the pronoun “we.” There is nothing
magically “right” or better about being
part of a majority — it usually means
you’ve got a lot of company to bolster you
up while you bad-mouth anyone who dis
agrees with you. Interestingly enough,
this country was founded by a small, rest
less, vocal and indignant MINORITY!
The closing statement, “the time is now
or never” is a little presumptuous and
hasty. This country will continue and will
go whatever route its citizens and world
events make available to it. I hope we can
have the patience to develop some good,
thoughtful approaches to some of our
! really tough problems.
— Lisa Thompson
— Tim Wessell, ’80
Fact & opinion
Editor:
I wish to respond to Mr. Ben F.
Pirtchett’s letter to the editor, Tuesday
Nov. 15 Battalion.
Mr. Pritchett’s use of repetition in
phrases such as “great nation” and “made
Correction
The youngster pictured on page
one of Tuesday’s Battalion was six-
year-old Tiffany Thomas, not Tiffany
Jacobson as we incorrectly stated.
Jibe Battalion regrets the error. ^
of the NeviisJe
Campus
Campus areas closed for holiday
The shifting of the Texas A&M-Texas football game from
Thanksgiving Day to Nov. 26 will alter holiday procedures at Texas
A&M University. Most areas of the Memorial Student Center (MSC)
and Rudder Center will be closed Nov. 24 and 25. Many will reopen
Nov. 26. Accessible throughout the Nov. 24-27 student, faculty and
staff holiday will be the MSC main desk and guest rooms, Rudder
Tower and MSC entrance to the post office lobby. On Saturday, all
areas except the Arts and Crafts Shop, Barber and Beauty Shops,
Student Finance and Student Programs Offices will operate. The
Visitors Information Center will be open Nov. 27. All University
Center areas resume normal operations Monday, Nov. 28.
I State
Jury to decide on Davis trial
Prosecutors in closing arguments Wednesday said that T. Cullen
Davis was determine to kill his estranged wife Priscilla, “the source of
his troubles, the night she was wounded and her daughter and lover
slain at the millionaire’s former home. The 13-week case was ex
pected to go to the jury late Wednesday. Prosecutor L. T. Wilson
said Mrs. Davis lived through the assaults because “her sense of
survival took over.” Davis, 44, is on trial first for the slaying of Mrs.
Davis’ daughter, Andrea Wilborn, whose Ixxdy was found in the man
sion basement. He is also charged with the death of Stan Farr, Mrs.
Davis’ resident boyfriend, and with attempting to kill Mrs. Davis and
Gus Gavrel Jr., a family friend who arrived during the assaults.
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Parents sue for polio contraction
Parents of a 3-year-old boy who contracted polio after taking three
doses of the oral anti-polio vaccine have filed an $11 million lawsuit
charging federal officials failed to warn of possible adverse effects.
The suit, filed Monday, charges fedend officials did not notify doctors
that persons suffering from immuno-deficiencies, such as their son,
are susceptible to polio if given the oral vaccine. Because of his
illness, the suit said, the boy’s right leg and arm are almost totally
paralyzed and his left foot is partially affected. The parents filed two
lawsuits earlier seeking $11 million against the manufacturer of the
drug and $12 million against the American Academy of Pediatricians.
Brief filed in Bakke case
The Justice Department says the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s ban on
racial discrimination in federally assisted programs shields only mem
bers of minority groups that have been victims of past discrimination.
In the brief filed with the Supreme Court Tuesday in the Allen
Bakke “reverse-discrimination” suit, the department argued that so-
called affirmative action programs favoring minorities over whites do
not violate this ban. Bakke, who is white, charged he was twice
denied admission to the University of California Medical School at
Davis because the school favored less-qualified minority applicants.
The medical school ’s program consisted of reserving 16 of 100 student
openings for members of minority groups whose qualifications were
not weighed against those of regular applicants for the other 84 open
ings.
Truckers accused of illegal rate
The Justice Department charged Wednesday that a truckers’ as
sociation has conspired since the early 1940s to illegally fix interstate
shipping rates for northeastern and central states, and southern states
including Texas. The department, in a civil suit, asked the U.S.
District Court in Washington to void existing interstate rates adopted
by the Motor Carriers Tariff Bureau Inc. of Cleveland and perma
nently enjoin any future illegal rate-fixing. The suit charged the
bureau, also called MCTB, set rates at non-competitively high levels
without Interstate Commerce Commission approval and deprived
shippers and the public of the benefits of free and open competition
in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
World
Britain overcome by Anne’s baby
News of the birth of Princess Anne’s baby — Queen Elizabeth’s
first grandson — swept Britain Wednesday and bundles of hand-
knitted booties and jackets poured into Buckingham Palace. The first
baby born to a member of the immediate royal family in three years,
and the first grandchild born a commoner to a reigning sovereign’s
family, Anne and Mark Phillips’ newborn son delighted the nation as
much as it pleased their families. Queen Elizabeth announced the
birth of the 7-pound, 9-ounce boy when she was late to an investiture
at Buckingham Palace Tuesday morning.
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Israelis combat Palestinians
Israeli tanks have clashed with Palestinian guerrillas and Lebanese
leftists near a border village four miles inside Lebanese territory,
guerilla and leftist sources said Wednesday. Artillery, heavy
machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the battle,
which killed or wounded an estimated 10 persons on both sides, the
sources said. Israeli tanks took up positions on strategic Shreiki Hill,
one of the main scenes of battle in the heavy border fighting that
preceded a U.S.-mediated cease-fire in south Lebanon on Sept. 26.
i
j Weather
Partly cloudy and mild today and tomorrow with northerly
winds 8-15 mph. High today near 80. Low tonight near 50.
High tomorrow mid-70s. No rain.
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The Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the
editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily
those of the University administration or the Board of Re
gents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting
enterjtrise operated by students as a university and com
munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the
editor.
LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are
subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The
editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does
not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be
signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone
number for verification.
Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The
Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College
Station, Texas 77843.
Represented nationally by National Educational Adver
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. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from
September through May except during exam and holiday
periods and the summer, when it is published on Mondays,
, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per
i school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates fur
nished on request. Address: The Battalion, Rw-
Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas
United Press International is entitled exdusi'^ !l
use for reproduction of all news dispatches credit'
Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein rtf'
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX ^
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Jamie
Managing Editor Mary Alice Woo4
Editorial Director Lee Roy Usd?
Sports Editor Paul
News Editors Marie Homeyer, Carols
City Editor Rust) ^
Campus Editor . . . -. to®- 1
Copy Editor BetbCd
Reporters Glenna W
Liz Newlin, David Boggan, Mark
Photographer KenH^
Cartoonist DougC 1
Student Publications Board: Boh G. Rogers,
Joe Arredondo; Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. John W
Robert Harvey; Dr. Charles McCandless; Dr. Cli*'- 1
Phillips; Rebel Rice. Director of Student Pubhv'
Donald C. Johnson.
i